{"title":"Jean Sumner","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy life with wood began at an early age watching my dad build, turn and repair useful items for our house. Before I began my own wood career, however, my life included living in Maryland, Guatemala, Germany, Wyoming and Colorado; studying at the University of Maryland and the University of Wyoming to receive degrees in Speech Pathology; and raising two sons.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1981 I moved to rural southwest Virginia to live off the land with Lloyd Sumner, travel adventure writer and computer artist. It was here that I became excited about working with wood in its many forms. By 1983 Lloyd and I had begun our craft business TreeArt as well as TreeArt Sawmilling, and on my way to becoming the first woman member of Wood-Mizer's 100,000 board foot club, I sawed not only many board feet for our customers, but also many species of wood for our own home. The house is designed in the spiral shape of a chambered nautilus shell and contains over 250 different species of wood.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile studying woodturning at Arrowmont with Liam O’Neill in 1987, I heard about the IWCS from long-time member Bob Stocksdale. Lloyd and I joined immediately and attended every meeting from Topeka, Kansas in 1988 to Columbus, Indiana in 1995. As a team we organized a regional meeting at our house in 1989, hosted \"Woodfest International\" in Blacksburg, Virginia in 1992, and edited the World of Wood from 1992 to 1995, initiating many changes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter Lloyd's sudden death in 1996, I continued taking my woodturnings to arts and craft shows in the Mid-Atlantic States, but had less time to devote to the Society. In spite of the pressures of managing my life and business alone, I have attended meetings in Colorado, Pennsylvania, Washington, Wisconsin, Australia, and most recently South Africa. I have also maintained my membership on the Publications Committee. In addition I am presently a member of the American Association of Woodturners, the Highpointers Club and US Masters Swimming, and enjoy contradancing and worldwide travel.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0411\/4487\/7221\/collections\/jean_sumner_01s.jpg?v=1599677715","url":"https:\/\/museum-for-art-in-wood.myshopify.com\/es\/collections\/jean-sumner.oembed","provider":"Museum for Art in Wood","version":"1.0","type":"link"}